Hibernian’s Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day Block Party This Saturday September 16th!

The Hibernian Pub at 311 Glenwood Ave. in Downtown Raleigh is hosting a Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day Block Party for their second time, and this time it’s in the rebuilt, 2 story, 4 bar Pub!

You can expect to find Live Music all day featuring Rattle & Hum a U2 Tribute Band, The Gravy Boys, Irish Dance Groups, & many more! For those of you who love the beer scene, there will be 24 different beers on tap, and 3 of the 4 bars will offer full liquor service. There are also going to be food and beer tents outside, making it easy to refill and refuel while listening to the live bands.

This event has free entry all day. The Hibernian Pub will be open normal hours 11AM-2AM, serving up their full menu, and the Outside Block Party is being held from Noon-11PM on North Ave. at the corner of Glenwood.

I love Big Boss beer, and I especially love when they takeover the roof at The Raleigh Beer Garden! This photo was taken last year on their first tap takeover, and I still get excited every time I see it! It was such a beautiful day, we were drinking on the roof, and every tap was taken by a Boss. To see what’s going on over at the Big Boss Brewery, Go Here!

The RBG does tap takeovers all the time, and is located right on Glenwood Ave. in Raleigh, NC! Check out what’s available on tap by visiting THE RBG website, and definitely go! 3 floors, Guinness World Record for # of drafts with over 360, and more varieties in one place than anywhere else in the world! For all beer lovers, and out of town guests, this extraordinary gem should definitely be on your “To Do Raleigh”, list!

Trophy, Maywood

I am in love with this hidden brewery. It’s not so hidden if you’re familiar with the area, or Earp’s Seafood but, other than that it feels like your GPS took you off road and is going to abandon you on a weird side road. Trophy is exploding in the Raleigh area and it’s great because their beer is delicious! My first experience was at this tiny little pizza shop right outside of downtown, over by Charlie Goodnights, and I was blown away! Then they opened up Maywood Brewery, State of Beer, & revamped Busy Bee into a restaurant & Trophy Taphouse. Like I said, they’re blowing up all over this city! The brewery has food trucks, their first born has the best pizza in the state, and every space has a certain feel and it’s own vibe and atmosphere. To see what’s going on at each spot, click here Keeping Up with The Trophy’s 🙂

Crank Arm Brewing & The Warehouse District

Adam and his business partners, staff, and loyal following, has made this brewery into one of the most humble breweries in the city. It’s smallish, pumps out award winning beer, and is loved by all. (Seriously, they won the Bronze Medal for Whitewall Wheat at the 2016 Great American Beer Fest in Colorado last fall!!) Almost every restaurant in the city has their beer on draft, and they are true to their name by scheduling weekly bike rides throughout Raleigh every Wednesday! Rather it’s Yoga on Sunday in the brewery, or City Bike Rides on Wednesdays, there is always something exciting going on here! Check them out by visiting their site Crank Arm Brewing!

The Warehouse District

The Warehouse District is poppin these days! When I first moved here back in 2012, the only reason I would ever go over there was for BBQ and beer. Some of my best friends (Sean & Ellen, love and miss you), introduced me to Tasty Bev and it was love at first site. Tasty is this glorious little bottle shop that has a famous tiny bar in the back, where they serve a unique selection of draft and bottled beer. They ALWAYS have the best, newest, and freshest beers on tap, and believe me when I say, get in line!

Tasty isn’t the only reason to hop over to the WHD; BoxCar Bar & Arcade is full of local and national beer, and all kinds of games! My friends & I visit here frequently and it never gets old. They have skee ball, pinball machines, air hockey tables, and games for people of all ages. The best part of BoxCar is knowing that when you’re done playing games, you can walk across the street to Raleigh’s very own Chocolate Factory!!!! Yes, I am serious when I say Videri has some of the best chocolate in the state, and is located across the street from BoxCar Arcade, and next door to Crank Arm brewing. What amazing times we are living in 🙂

Hibernian Irish Pub & Restaurant

Shout out to the Hibernian Pub on Glenwood Ave.! I’ve been a manager here for 2 years now and I absolutely adore this place. It’s crazy during the weekend and humble during the week. We have $5 Build Your Own Burgers on Mondays, Bingo on Tuesdays, Trivia Wednesdays, .50 wings and $4 NC Drafts on Thursdays, and parties all weekend long! The patio is gorgeous, the views never get old, and the best part, people watching!

We have rotating taps up on the roof, and reserve those 12 taps for beer brewed only in North Carolina. Taps do change pretty frequently, so make sure to check on availability by calling, or by visiting the Hibernian Website 🙂

The bartenders take their job seriously. When you ask them to dress up for halloween, this is what you get!

Hibernian also throws one mean Halloween party every year!

My love for this city grows each and every day, so I will try to keep up with local posts as much as possible! The small businesses that deserve a shot out is an ever growing list, and I look forward to continuing to share my love of all that is Raleigh, as much as possible!

To get the most of Small businesses, and learning to shop local, no one does it better than Jennifer over at Shop Local Raleigh 🙂 Visit this site for upcoming events, and learn where all small businesses are thriving!

Lucky’s Sandwich shop in Durham, NC is FANTASTIC! As an obsessed Sandwich Lover, I’m always seeking really great sandwich shops when I’m out and about. In September of 2016, my friend Arlene and I were Lucky enough to have stumbled upon this awesome shop, and immediately, I knew that it was going to be necessary to share with the world how delicious it was!

Here is a link to Lucky’s if you want to browse their amazing menu. I highly suggest checking out this little deli the next time you’re in Durham for lunch! (P.S. A majority of their sides and pickles are made in house, so make room alongside that sandwich!)

The Deli

A great sandwich can change your day, and a bad sandwich can ruin your day. Lucky’s is exactly that; you feel lucky that you stumbled upon such an awesome sandwich shop! If you don’t love sandwiches, I’m not sure we can be friends…. Unless of course you’re gluten free and cannot have bread, then I’ll think about you being an exception! Shout out to Lexie, we can still be friends 🙂

Durham, NC has been in the news for being one of the Best Foodie Towns in the South, and that is not by chance or mistake. Durham is a Gem, a beautiful, old, thriving, re-building Gem, and I am loving watching this city grow. I wish I got out here more. It’s only 25 minutes down the road, but when life gets busy those 25 minutes are a long way, so it seems. The perks of traveling for food…. look below. Are you kidding me?! This Reuben was the most delicious and glorious sandwich I have ever eaten. #AllHailLuckysReuben

Taking a Stroll Through Durham

Down in the Beyu

Because I don’t get to Durham as much as I’d like to, I usually spend hours downtown trying to make up for lost time. Not to mention the fact that there is always a new spot opening up, and a new coffee I need to try. After we ate at Lucky’s that day, we took a stroll trying to walk off some of our sandwiches, and ended up passing Beyu, pronounced Be-You! What I was hoping for was an iced, cold beverage to save me from the heat, but what I found was this amazing restaurant/coffee shop/wine bar/jazz club. This was the most delicious beverage I think I’ve ever had! I told the barista what I was in the mood for, and he just made it. It was perfect and I wish I had a name for it, but it was a “Create Your Own”, special! If you want to see what they have going on, which is a lot, go here; Beyu in Durham 🙂

Music is Everywhere

Whatever kind of music you’re into, Durham has you covered. Rather it’s spots like Pinhook, Beyu Jazz, or Motorco, or the Carolina Theatre and DPAC, there are all sorts of places to jam, and there is always something to listen to, or someone.

Hopefully, after reading this blog entry, you’re getting the gist of why people go on, and on about how cool Durham is, and why it keeps popping up on Foodie, Beer, and Southern Living blogs.

Ponysaurus and Fullsteam are also known for Food Trucks and awesome, open spaces, where people can eat, drink, and relax. A couple of years ago, I was one of the key leaders, and General Manager for the Baguettaboutit Food Truck, so Food Trucks have a special place in my heart. I used to spend Friday nights slinging sausages into baguettes in front of Fullsteam, and they were some of the greatest nights of my life. Most breweries have Food Trucks now, making it very easy to eat and drink the day away!

When is comes to Durham and how cool it can be, the fun times aren’t over yet! Stay tuned for more on the Durham food, beer, and lifestyle scene!